Brother's right to see sibling?

[Allan87]

Just wondering if someone has any rights to see their half-brother? Friend of mine is really ate up that his stepdad is preventing him from seeing his half-brother (7 years old) and is worried he's missing out on his upbringing. His mother can't get involved because she's in Australia so he's a bit stuck on what to do. It's caused by my friend buying the kid a birthday present and when the stepdad brought him over to see him said he wasn't going to let him see the kid again because he had birthday presents from his mother too. The kid seen all this and was crying when the stepdad refused the presents. All seems very unfair but is this just a case of having to put up with it till the kid is old enough to make his own decisions?

[AngryMushroom]

Although the family courts are given more credence to half-siblings in relation to contact. The first thing the courts will look at is whether granting a "contact order" will be in the interest of the 7 year old child. This will be very much dependent on the relationship prior to the access cut-off point and if by granting an order will benefit the child. As one court stated:-

"A sibling relationship can be an independent emotionally supportive factor for children in ways quite distinctive from other relationships, and there are benefits and experiences that a child reaps from a relationship with his or her brother(s) or sister(s) which truly cannot be derived from any other. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to experience a sibling relationship are aware of these basic human truths".

Please visit the following for further details
http://www.legislatio...ga/1989/41/section/4A

Hope this helps....Peace